An early morning trip to Dhahran Waste Water Lake in Early October produced more Pallid Swift, dropping down occasionally to drink from the lake. These birds have been about for several weeks now with over twenty present now The species is a common passage migrant and breeder, common from late January to May, uncommon after this and only recorded again in good numbers from November. Breeding takes place in the winter months from November to April.
Whilst birding the Dhahran Waste Water Lake 12 October 2024, I came across five Egyptian Nightjars. The Egyptian Nightjar Caprimulgus aegyptius is an uncommon bird in Arabia, with ‘The birds of the Western Palearctic’ (Cramp 1985) mentioning they winter in north-east Africa and migrate on a broad front across Arabia from September to early November & March to mid-May. These birds fit this pattern, and the fact I have not seen any around the lake in recent years also suggests they are migrants rather than early wintering birds. As I am on foot whilst birding this area it is difficult to get close to the birds as they fly when they notice you. I did manage to see one before it saw me and got the below photos before it flew off. This species has become regular at certain locations during the summer months where they now breed, but records during migration and winter and much less common.
Recently I located a White-tailed Lapwing Vanellus leucurus flying over the Waste Water lake. The bird did not stop and flew off towards the percolation pond but I could not relocate it. The species is unusual in Dhahran and the first time I have seen at the Waste Water Lake although I have seen on the spray fields and percolation pond previously. Migratory populations breed from Turkey and Jordan to southern Kazakhstan and winter 4,000 km south and southwest in Sudan, Pakistan, India and increasingly Arabia. It is a rare breeding resident, scarce winter visitor and uncommon passage migrant. They prefer brackish coastal pools, shallow tidal inlets, rainwater pools and wastewater lagoons where they feed on mainly insects and other invertebrates.
Whilst checking out the birds at Dhahran Waste Water Lake recently and I saw a two Rose-ringed Parakeets Psittacula krameria fly over calling. They landed in a nearby tree out of sight but flew off shortly after landing allowing a few photographs to be taken. The species is a locally common resident in larger cities in Saudi Arabia. They are relatively common in Riyadh but outside the capital it is less frequent and rather scarce in the southwest. They are also a common resident to towns and villages of the Gulf, including my local patch of Dhahran and in Jeddah. They are probably an introduced species that have become a self-sustaining resident breeder although this is unclear as record keeping on birds of the region has not been so good over the years. Even though I see the species almost every day they remain difficult to photograph.
I saw a Golden Grass Mabuya Heremites septemtaeniatus in Dhahran recently that ran across a track but stopped under the nearby vegetation allowing me to take a few photographs. I have seen this lizard a few times here over the years but only running fast across tracks and never allowing photographs until this sighting. This species is known from Eritrea, Oman, United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Iraq, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Iran and Turkmenistan. I have also seen this species in Dhahran where I live but although common, they are rarely seen.
An early morning trip to Dhahran Waste Water Lake recently produced two Grey-headed Swamphens. This is the first time I have seen the species here in over two years so was a very pleasant surprise. The favoured location for this species is in Jubail and our last visit showed the water levels very low and reed clearance occurring so maybe the birds are moving around trying to find more suitable habitat. It will be interesting to see if the stay or are joined by other birds over the next couple of weeks. There were very few other birds seen with a few Grey Herons and Great Cormorants about the best.
 |
| Grey-headed Swamphen |
 |
| Grey-headed Swamphen |
 |
| Grey Heron |
 |
| Great Cormorant |
 |
| Great Cormorant |
Whilst birding the Dhahran Hills Cricket and football Fields in mid-September I found several hundred Yellow Wagtails allowing close views and photos to be taken. They varied in plumage considerably and there was more than one sub-species present but the most common appeared to be flava. The Yellow Wagtail is a common passage migrant with various subspecies occurring, but they are much commoner in the spring than the autumn. Autumn numbers are still relatively high with tens of birds generally seen during the migration period from late August until late October. This is the first time I have seen this high a number of birds together hopefully indicating a good autumn to come.
Whilst birding the Waste Water Lake in the very early morning I saw seven Ferruginous Ducks on the water and another three birds flying over before landing with the others. Luckily, they birds in flight flew around a couple of times allowing for a few photos to be taken. Hopefully they will stay for a while as this is a safe place for them as no hunting is allowed. The Ferruginous Duck is an uncommon passage migrant, winter visitor and a rare breeder with most birds occurring from September to April. The species is currently listed as Near Threatened and prefers shallower and more vegetated areas than other Aythya species and seldom sits out on open water. Sightings have been increasing in recent years, with breeding occurring in Jubail, but they remain uncommon.
Whilst birding the Dhahran Hills Cricket field at the end of September I saw a few interesting birds. Western Cattle Egrets are back in good numbers and Eurasian Hoopoe numbers have increased significantly with migrant birds joining the local breeding birds. Another species that has been seen in higher-than-normal numbers is Black-winged Stilt with tens of birds on almost all grassy areas in the compound. Resident species seen included Common Myna, Eurasian Collared Dove and Crested Lark. Migrants noted have included Woodchat Shrike, Lesser Grey Shrike, Spotted Flycatcher and Northern Wheatear.
Black-winged Stilt 
Black-winged Stilt 
Black-winged Stilt 
Common Myna 
Crested Lark 
Eurasian Collared Dove 
Eurasian Collared Dove 
Eurasian Hoopoe 
Eurasian Hoopoe 
Spotted Flycatcher 
Western Cattle Egret 
Western Cattle Egret 
Western Cattle Egret 
Woodchat Shrike